About this project

Photography Book + Audio from Carnaval in Pernambuco, Brazil

$22,026

pledged of $20,000 goal

311

backers

Versão em português está abaixo

NEW STRETCH GOAL

A big thank you to all! With the help of nearly 45 new Backers since Xmas day, we've reached the Kickstarter goal!

I'm not going to stop! I have *new* stretch goal of $25,600! It is for a compilation of songs from the region, to showcase lesser known musicians who contribute to the Carnaval tradition! I've already connected with the producer, and here's the rough budget:

$2,750 Licensing and Mastering

$2,000 Producer / Compiler

$400 Download Card Production

$450 Art Direction

Total: $5,600

See new awards at $20 and $40. I've included the digital download as part of a few new awards. All backers at $65 or higher automatically will receive the digital download.

There are also tickets left for the Encontro! Thank you!

My name is Jason Gardner, and I'm a photographer. When I first
visited Pernambuco in the northeast of Brazil, I was immediately captivated by
its extraordinary music and traditions. Over the past nine years, I’ve returned
again and again to document this vibrant culture.

A Flower in The Mouth will be a photography book showing the rich cultural heritage of Pernambuco, an area often overlooked by international visitors. It will contain images and interviews of the people shaping this dynamic culture, as well as writing from my experiences.

Carnaval in Recife, Olinda, and the cane cutting zona de mata countryside is full of color, sound, and ceremonies, different from the spectacles of Rio de Janeiro and Salvador da Bahia. Nearly everything is free and on the streets - anyone can join the celebration. Yet Carnaval here is more than the widely held perception of a wild party - it is a folkloric festival backed by a rich mix of culture, ritual and music.

There's also more to it: Carnaval ranges from the public spectacle to a private journey of ritual and renewal. Because I kept
on returning to the region, I was
invited to the rituals that happen behind closed doors, ones
that show the other side of Carnaval. Over multiple visits, I learned about the cycle of traditions linked to the yearly festival, as well as the efforts to prepare for it.

This book is a work of visual anthropology, documenting Pernambuco's Carnaval in its current state before outside influence alters it forever.

Funds raised will support the final design and printing of the book. (A rough budget is below).

$12,000 to get copies printed and shipped to all three regions (US Europe Brazil)

$3,750 for the rest of design and pre-press production of book

$1,500 for a professional editor of all text

$1,000 for translation of all text

$1,600 in Kickstarter / Amazon fees (8% of total)

$150 for ISBN number

Below are images, text, and design layouts from the book. All images are available as part of limited edition series of prints, for certain award levels.

Celebration - Carnavalin Pernambuco is colorful and intimate,
with a rich blend of musical culture, Afro-Brazilian influences, western
religion and a cast of characters both whimsical and fearsome. Booming maracatu
troops parade, showing their pride in their African heritage. In the zona da mata countryside,
burly male sugarcane workers transform into buxom, colorfully clad ladies. In
Olinda, a UNESCO World Heritage site, costumed revelers overload the sloped cobblestoned byways. Past and future collide, cultures mingle in a passionate
reinvention of local identity, and the region blossoms into a kaleidoscope of
music, dance, and ritual.

“Why do we perform, why do we
do all this work? Competition is one reason. You want to be more beautiful. You
want to sing better than the others. But it’s not only competition, you know?
It’s really complex, but it’s also simple: We do it because we like it.”

Music - In the last 15 years, there's been an
explosion of recognition for music from the Northeast. Many styles of music
flourish in Pernambuco, all recognizable as nordestino, with distinct history,
powerful rhythms, poetic lyrics and a characteristic accent. Besides the frevo,
created in Recife, two very different versions of maracatu feature prominently
in the Carnaval: maracatu de baque virado (inverted beat; also called maracatu
nação) and maracatu de baque solto (loose beat; also known as maracatu
rural).

A maker of maracatu drums explains, “When I make the alfaia, I connect
with the soul of the drum. Every drum has a personality, and all the players
understand this. You can be a good musician, play maracatu, but to really learn
it is a different thing.”

Ceremonies - Pernambuco boasts a
diversity of religion and ritual. African, indigenous, and European influences
create a fascinating tableau of figurines, symbols, and other items like
tobacco, pipes and candles. Whether they are practitioners of candomblé,
jurema, or umbanda, participants use all of these icons to honor their orixás
(deities), asking for protection, blessing, healing, while recognizing the
regular cycle and renewal of the ceremony.

A participant in a limpeza ceremony: “Because Carnaval signifies renewal, we need to do a limpeza to start the season in the correct way. I wouldn’t feel right otherwise.”

THE BOOK - to be published in 2013, in advance of the World Cup (2014) and Olympics (2016) in Brazil.

Risks and challenges

Overall, a main challenge is the work that goes into independently publishing a book of this quality. I also am planning ahead - I need to produce the book in early 2013, to get it proofed and printed and ready for summer 2013. The design, printing, and publication / distribution cycle takes a long time and I will need to act quickly to make my deadline.

I already have a team in place for the design and production, one potential delay may be identifying and coming to an agreement with the appropriate distributor. While I am self-publishing, I will need a distributor to access markets I cannot reach.

I've already invested countless hours and a good amount of funds into getting to this stage, and need the additional funds to produce a high quality, independent art book that tells this story.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $20 or more
About $20

A MUSICAL GREETING: A 6x9 signed postcard and an emailed thank you from me, with a web-res image from the project. Plus digital download of the musical compilation companion to the book, featuring music from the region.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $40 or more
About $40

FOR EARPHONES & SCREEN: A digital download of the whole e-book, upon publication, with your name in the acknowledgements. Plus a digital download of the musical compilation companion to the book, featuring music from the region.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $150 or more
About $150

THE COLLECTOR'S PACKAGE: A signed, numbered, limited edition 8x10 print from the collection -AND- 1st edition signed copy of the book (with your name in the acknowledgements). Come to the Encontro as well!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $250 or more
About $250

DELUXE COLLECTOR'S PACKAGE: A signed, numbered, limited edition 13x19 print from the collection -AND- 1st edition signed copy of the book (with your name in the acknowledgements). Come to the Encontro as well!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $400 or more
About $400

BATE-PAPO (rough translation, "a lively chat"): A listening session -AND- a round of drinks at Jason's Brooklyn home -AND- a 1st edition signed copy of the book (with your name in the acknowledgements) -AND- a signed, numbered, limited edition 13x19 print from the collection.